Flaming serves as an alternative to use of pesticides and is an organic process for eliminating and suppressing of weeds and pests (eg. insects), in agricultural settings. High temperatures are applied to plants and pests to cause cell membranes to rupture, leading to weed and pest death. Cell rupture occurs at about 100 degrees Centigrade, and can be accomplished, for instance, by exposing weeds and pests to about 800 degrees Centigrade for about 0.1 second. A reference that discloses a range of 0.065 to 0.13 seconds at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees Centigrade is “Technical Aspects of Flame Weeding”, Louisiana Proc. First Annual Symposium: Research on Flame Weed Control, 28-33, Sponsored by Natural Gas Processors Assoc., Memphis, Tenn., Thomas, C. H., (1964).
Currently, flaming is applied in organic and conventional farming, but has potential for far greater application in conventional farming than is now the case.
A known problem in applying flaming in conventional farming is that simple propane burning systems and state of the art torch-hood assemblies are inefficient.
A Professional Search of Patents in the area has identified:                U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,437 to Johnstone et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,654 to Prull;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,822 to Harrell;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,707 to Chastain;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,832 to Hoek et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,086 to Jones;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,901 to Clark;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,739 to Boekelman;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,766 to Hammon;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,636 to Wheeler;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,927 to Hollovay;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,322,459 to Mattern; and        Published Application No. US2005/0262761 by Carrol et al.Other known Patents are:        U.S. Pat. No. 1,433,885 to Fuller;        U.S. Pat. No. 600,106 to White; and U.S.        U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,174 to Lalor.Additional Patents identified by a Computer Search are:        U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,324 to Anderson;        U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,512 to Chang et al.;        Pat. No. RE39,636 to Brown;        U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,835 to Pivonka; and        Published Application No. US2005/0084409 by Pivonka.Additional Searching for Patents that describe ignition systems that could be applied to flame-weeding provided:        U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,384 to London;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,133 to Zoschak;        U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,709 to Haverland;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,553 to Heilman.And, further Searching for Patents and Published Applications that describe heat transfer systems that could be applied to fuel lines in weed flaming systems provided:        U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,723 to Hilal;        U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,437 to Johnstone et al.;        Published Application US2012/0051489 by Varanaski et al.;        Published Application US2010/0024291 by Jensen.        
A professional Search was conducted for the use of fuel lines with flow affecting elements therewithin, and identified:                U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,938 to Hastings;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,567 to Hutchinson et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,565 to Long;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,084 to Long;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,364 to Hefling;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,474 to Pivonka;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,819,669 to Blaskewitz et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,770,346 to Blaskevitz et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,151 to Blaskewitz et al.;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,701,881 to Goldberg;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,417 to Adamson;        U.S. Pat. No. 1,346,770to Sillett et al.; and        U.S. Pat. No. 565,551 to MacLachlan.        
In addition, a Report titled “LP-Gas for Weed, Nematode and Pathogen Control in Agriculture”, released by the Railroad Commission of Texas Jun. 30, 2004 was identified.
It is also noted that, while not disclosed in this Specification, different “recipes, (eg. gallons of propane used per acre and flame application times etc.), are beneficially varied for application to different crops.
In addition, while it is known that the presently disclosed invention system is more efficient as regards the use of propane to achieve desired weed and/or pest control, (eg. less than 50% propane required as compared to requirements of other known flaming systems which do not incorporate hoods), the exact data regarding this are not yet available but rather will be presented in Continuation In Part Applications. A reason the present invention system demonstrates better efficiency, however, is known. Its design allows for greater intake of oxygen during operation, therefore enables better, clean, reduced pollution creating combustion. And, because in use the present invention torch is applied in combination with hoods that keep naturally rising heat closer to the ground for longer periods, a present invention torch-hood system can be applied more efficiently, even in windy conditions which cause problems for other known system. Further, flaming can be performed in fields which are too wet to be cultivated by conventional mechanical techniques.
It is further disclosed that the current practice of using chemicals to control pests and/or weeds in crop fields is threatened as resistance thereto has been developing (eg. pigweed has been especially successful in this regard). The present invention enables pest and/or weed control without this problem ever developing as weeds and/or pests will not, in the forseeable future, develop absolute resistance to flaming, although some grasses and foxtail are less susceptible thereto than are, for instance broadleaf weeds such as pigweed. Fortuitously it is the broadleaf weeds that present the greatest present time problem in crop production. Further, conventional mechanical cultivation leads to loss of approximately 1″ of water each time it is performed. Flaming avoids this, as well as the soil erosion that can occur when conventional mechanical cultivation and post planting tilling is performed.
Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/741,594 Filed Jul. 25, 2012 and 61/741,618 Filed Jul. 25, 2012 are incorporated by reference in this Application as is a Masters of Science Thesis, by inventor Neilson, titled “The Integration of Propane Flaming and Mechanical Cultivation for Effective Weed Control in Agriculture”, Neilson, Univ. of Nebraska, May 2012. (Note, the Neilson Thesis was made available in the Card Catalog or computer equivalent at the University of Nebraska Library on Apr. 26, 2012. Also, it mentions various Patents in it's Background Section, but does not provide numbers therefore. Only two thereof were found and are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,237,204 and 2,408,328. There is no intent to withhold other Patents mentioned therein, but being from the 1940's or there abouts, they simply have not been found using typical searching techniques).
Even in view of the known prior art, need remains for an improved mobile system comprising hoods, in functional combination with improved torch assemblies.